FBI Fires Employees Linked to Trump Investigations Amid Subpoena Dispute

The FBI has dismissed roughly a dozen employees over two days this week, targeting personnel connected to investigations involving President Donald Trump, according to multiple sources. At least 10 staff members were terminated on Wednesday, followed by additional firings on Thursday. Those removed included agents, analysts, and support staff who had worked on former special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents.

The dismissals reportedly came after FBI Director Kash Patel alleged that Smith had improperly subpoenaed his phone records during the investigation. Patel claimed the subpoenas were issued while he and Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles were private citizens, calling the move an abuse of authority. In a statement to Reuters, Patel said the FBI had obtained his toll records using “flimsy pretexts” and concealed the process within restricted case files to avoid oversight. Toll records typically include call metadata—such as numbers, dates, and durations—but not call content, and are commonly obtained through grand jury subpoenas in criminal inquiries.

The FBI Agents Association criticized the firings, saying they were carried out without due process. Smith’s investigations had produced historic federal indictments against a former U.S. president, though the classified documents case was dismissed in 2024 after a judge ruled Smith’s appointment unlawful, and election-related charges were dropped following Trump’s reelection victory. Since returning to office, the Trump administration has moved against officials involved in those cases, including prosecutors and agents tied to both the documents probe and the Arctic Frost election investigation.

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